HC clears Rajasthan cricketers to take part in domestic season

Jaipur: Rajasthan High Court on Friday cleared the decks for participation of players from the state in the upcoming domestic season of the BCCI by appointing a coordinator to run Rajasthan cricket and naming selection committees.

After hearing a writ petition filed by Rajesh Bishnoi and few others, Justice M N Bhandari gave directions that Rajasthan would be allowed to take part in the domestic tournament conducted by the BCCI.

Justice Bhandari made it clear that the arrangement would continue till the dispute between RCA and the BCCI is solved. The HC's decision came a day after Rajasthan cricketers made a passionate appeal to find a solution to the deadlock. Senior sports administrator Amrit Mathur has been made coordinator between RCA and the BCCI while national selector Rajinder Singh Hans and Preetam Gandhe have been named as chairman of senior and junior selection committees respectively.

Mathur was earlier appointed by the BCCI as the coordinator of the ad-hoc committee to run Rajasthan cricket. Curator Taposh Chatterjee will now be the assistant coordinator, according to the HC order.

It might be recalled that RCA is under suspension after it elected former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi as president in 2013. Its office is under locks after Pathan group staged a coup and claimed to have removed Modi and other top officials. When the claim was challenged, the High court had ordered locking of RCA office and later appointed a coordinator and selection committee to ensure participation of state cricketers in the previous domestic season.